Railway-rail and chair or bed



(No Model.)

L. s. PROGTOR. T RAILWAYRAIL AND CHAIR 0R BED.

Patented 0011.13, 1896:.

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L. S. PROGTOR. RAILWAY RAIL AND CHAIR 0R BED- No. 569,388. Patented 001;. 13, 1896.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LElVIS S. PROCTOR, OF SHEFFIELD, ALABAMA.

RAILWAY-RAIL AND CHAIR OR BED.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 569,388, dated October 13, 1896.

Application filed February 19, 1896. Serial No. 579,903. (No model.)

To all who/1t it 11m concern/.-

Be it known that I, LEWIS S. PROCTOR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sheffield, in the county of Colbert and State of Alabama, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway-Rails and Chairs or Beds, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a railway-rail and chair or bed, and has for one of its objects the provision of a permanently-laid and durable metal rail bed or support extended the entire length of a railway-track, conterminous therewith, and secured to the ordinary railway-ties in such manner as to permit the renewal of any tie and the removal, reversing, or renewal of a rail without disturbing the said permanent and continuously-arranged chairs that constitute the rail-bed.

It is another object of my invention to so construct the permanently-laid and continuous chair or chairs as to securely brace the track-rails and afford sufficiently broad bearings between the railgwebs and chairs for adequately supporting the bolts that connect these parts.

Other purposes of the invention will hereinafter appear as resulting from those features of construction that conduce to greater safety, economy, and facility of making needed repairs.

In the annexed drawings, illustrating the invention, Figure 1 shows in perspective a portion of a railway-track constructed according to my improvements. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of one section or piece of the continuous chair or rail-bed, showing in vertical section a track-rail and a fish-plate for the chair-joint. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section through the chair or rail-bed at one of the rail-joints, with a track-rail in end elevation and a rail fish-plate in section.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a chair or rail -bed constructed from rolled wrought-iron, preferably, though other material may be employed, as found desirable and suitable for the purposes of my invention. Each chair 1, constituting a section or piece of the continuous and permanently-laid rail-bed, may have a length of, say, thirty feet, more or less, as desired. The track-rails 2, that are preferably made from steel, should each have about the same length as the chairs 1, in which they are laid or supported in such manner .as to break joints therewith, the said chairs being extended continuously and in abutting contact with each other throughout the entire length of the railway-track.

The rails 2 are preferably of the class known as double-headers or reversible, so that either head may be placed uppermost to afford a tread for the wheels of passing trains. It is also desirable to construct the heads of the reversible track-rails precisely alike on both sides or edges of each head, so that the rails can be reversed end for end, as well as vertically, and thus compensate for excessive wear on either the inner or outer edge of each head. lVhen the edges of a railhead become worn unequally, the rail maybe reversed end for end or should one of the rail-heads become unserviceable from any cause the rail may be reversed vertically to bring the other head into service. The railheads are connected by a web having, preferably, straight parallel sides as affording firmer bearings for the fish-plates and chairs.

Each rail-bed section or chair 1 is constructed altogether in one piece having a broad base 3, that is continuous or integral from side to side and from end to end of the chair. In or near the side edges of the chairbase 3 there may be provided recesses or openings 4, to permit a secure and firm spiking of the chairs or rail-bed to the cross-ties 5, that may be of wood, as usual.

Along the top of the chair-base 3 is extended a vertically-projecting flange or rib 6 to afford a bearing for the innermost side of the lower head of the track-rail, which it may grasp more or less closely, as preferred, but so as to not obstruct removal or reversal of the rail when desired. The chair or rail-bed section is also provided, along the top of its base portion, with a vertically and longitudinally extended flange 7 close to the outermost side of the lower rail-head. This flange 7 is extended above the lower rail-head and then inward to and against the rail-web, on which it has a close and broad bearing along the inner vertical face of the flange-shoulder 8, which comprises ample thickness or bulk of material to afford sufficient space for the bolt-holes that are formed through this portion of the chair for securingthe rails thereto. Although the shouldered flange 7 is extended upward and inward above the lowermost head of the track-rail, it will be observed that sufficient clearance is provided to permit ready removal or reversal of the rail when unbolted.

As before noted, the track-rails 2 are laid in the rail-bed sections or chairs 1 in such manner as to break joints therewith, the abutting ends of adjoining chairs being at about the center of each track-rail, while the rail-joints are at or near the center of a chair.

At each chair-joint, on the outside of abutting flanges 7, is placed a chair fish-plate 9, having along its top edge an inward-projecting flange 10, resting on the top of the chairflange. By means of .bolts 11, passed through the track-rails, the chair-flange 7, and the fishplate 9, with nuts 12 on the threaded portion of said bolts, the parts will be securely fastened at these points at or about the center of each track-rail.

For securing the ends of the track-rails there is provided at each rail-joint and on the inner side of the said rails a fish-plate or bar 13, secured by nuts let on bolts 15, passed through the said fish-plate and through the track-rails and flange 7 of the chair. Other bolts 16, secured by nuts 17, may be preferably passed through the track-rails and chairflange '7 at one or more points intermediate the rail-joints and chair-joints. To prevent turning of the several bolts, their shank portions may be squared adjacent to the boltheads to correspond with similar rectangular openings in the parts with which the squared portions of the bolts immediately engage. Nut-locks may be employed at required points, if desired.

Vith this construction of continuous permanently-laid rail-bed composed of abutting chairs or rail-bed sections extended throughout the entire length of a railway-track the making of necessary repairs in the track and road-bed will be greatly facilitated, with large economy of time, labor, and material. Whenever necessary, the removal and replacing of cross-ties can be readily effected without taking up or in any way disturbing the chairs that constitute the rail-bed, it being only required to withdraw the spikes at a damaged or worn cross-tie, put in a new one, and again fasten the chair at that point. So, too, for removal or reversing of the trackrails it is only necessary to remove the bolts that confine the worn or unserviceable rail, while the continuous rail-bed will remain undisturbed and permanently in place. This rail-bed also provides such a continuous and equally-distributed support for ,the trackrails that their durability is greatly increased, and should a rail snap or be broken from any cause it will not drop out of place but will still afford a safe and practically even track.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination with the track-rails, of the continuous rail-bed composed of abutting chairs secured to the cross-ties and extended continuously throughout the track, each chair having a vertically-projeeting flange or rib in contact with the inner side of the rails, throughout their length, and a vertically and inwardly projecting flange provided with a shoulder for contact with the outer side of the rail-webs, throughout their length, fishplates on the inner side of the rail-joints, and fish-plates on the outer side of the chairjoints, substantially as described.

2. The combination with reversible trackrails having heads that are alike on both edges, of a continuous rail-bed composed of abutting chairs secured to the cross-ties and extended continuously throughout the track to support the rails at all points, each chair being provided with a vertically-projecting flange or rib in contact with the inner side of the lowermost rail-heads, throughout their length, and a vertically and inwardly projecting. flange provided at the top with a shoulder for contact with the outer side of the rail-webs, throughout their length, a fish plate on the inner side of each rail-joint, and a fish-plate on the outer side of each chair-joint and provided with a flange resting on the shouldered flange of the chair, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEXVIS S. PROCTOR.

Witnesses:

JAMES L. NORRIS, THos. A. GREEN. 

